so how come it doesn't feel that way?
The New Ideas Festival 2010 – Week One – Alumnae Theatre
by Sam Mooney
This is the 22nd New Ideas Festival hosted by Alumnae Theatre Company so you know that they’re doing something right. The Alumnae website describes it better than I can “The New Ideas Festival is a juried, three-week annual festival of new writing, works-in-progress and experimental theatre, with a different program of plays each week, and a staged reading on Saturdays at noon. It runs from March 10 – 27, 2010. There are 18 scripts in the Festival this year – something for everybody: long ones, short ones, funny, sad, tension-filled, silly, and some surprises that we won’t give away.”
It’s a juried festival so you know that it isn’t going to be a crapshoot – every show will have some merit. Of course they may not all be to your taste.
This week there are 4 plays – in order of presentation:
- JOIN THE CLUB by Suzanne Courtney & Leora Courtney-Wolfman • Directed by Stacy Halloran
- AN INKED HEART by D.J. Sylvis • Directed by Heather Keith
- A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE by Carol Libman • Directed by lindi g. papoff
- ASHES TO ASHES by M.P. Fedunkiw • Directed by Maureen Callaghan
Toronto March Break 2010- Theatre Arts Activities for Grandparents and Kids
By Sam Mooney
As I started looking at what’s on in theatre for Toronto kids this March break I found myself wishing that I was a kid – or that my grandson was older so I could do some of these things with him. You don’t actually have to be a grandparent to enjoy the various activities and performances.
We’re looking at activities that fall into two broad categories – day camps and workshops, and performances. Some are free, some are cheap, and some aren’t.
V-Day and Two Plays!
By Leanne Milech
I remember being shocked when Eve Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues first swept through North America: a whole play devoted to women and their vaginas? Not only was the subject matter unique, but the stories were based on Ensler’s interviews with real women, interviews that had people divulging deep, dark secrets about their sexual memories and experiences.
It has been gloriously refreshing to have The Vagina Monologues around, and since its award-winning beginning, it has spawned V-Day, the global movement to stop violence against women and girls. Through V-Day campaigns, clusters of volunteers and college students around the world perform annual benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, which features writings about violence against women and girls from famous figures like Michael Cunningham, Maya Angelou and Kathy Najimy. Toronto’s very own group of V-Day warriors is taking both shows to the stage in the next two weeks.
The winner of a pair of tickets to ‘My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding’ is…
Congrats to Rose Holloway!
Rose and guest are the lucky winners to MMLJWW, tomorrow night at the Panasonic Theatre.
To all those who didn’t win, don’t be sad because MMLJWW has been extended until April 4. Shows run every Tuesday through Thursday at 8:00pm, Saturday shows at 5:00pm and 7:00pm, and Sundays at 7:00pm. Tickets are $25-$60 and can be purchased at 416-872-121 or by going to Ticket King. Don’t miss it!
My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding Vows
By Leanne Milech
We thought this show couldn’t get any sweeter, but it has! This weekend, My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding (MMLJWW) turns into YOUR very own (insert long, descriptive acronym) wedding!
Following the March 12, 13 and 14 shows of MMLJWW, couples from the audience will be invited to stand up in the Panasonic Theatre and participate in a free commitment ceremony. You can be first-timers, or a couple of lovebirds who just want to renew your vows publicly.
The stars of the show will conduct the non-denominational ceremonies, participating couples will receive a commemorative certificate AND they’ll also be entered into a draw to win 120,000 Aeroplan Miles.
Read on for more details!
The Culture Congress 2010
By Leanne Milech
Get ready for The Culture Congress 2010, which will rage through various Toronto locales from March 24 through March 28. Harbourfront Centre, the Theatre Centre’s FREE FALL ’10, Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage 2009-10 and Calgary’s Theatre Junction Grand are joining forces to put on a variety of roundtables, lectures and discussions on the Canadian arts community, mentorship and performance. The events are all open to the public, and the best part is, they’re free!
This year’s focus is on how the arts community comes together: artist to artist, artist to presenter and artist to audience. In exploring this issue, some of the events you can look forward to include presentations from Irish delegates who will discuss the arts communities in their country, comparing and contrasting with Canada; discussions about creating artistically challenging and sustainable work and senior artists interviewing their very own mentees. For more information, read the following press release.
Five for Twenty (or Less)
by Leanne Milech
Our mission at Mooney on Theatre is to make theatre more accessible, which is just one of the reasons we are over-the-moon excited about this weekly post: we get giddy helping people find their way to local Toronto theatre, especially when it’s high quality entertainment on a budget! This week, we’ve uncovered a secret code that gives you a cost-efficient edge on theatre-going, two pay-what-you-can laugh-ins, an edgy, experimental theatre festival and a poetry play, all for twenty dollars or less.
Go see Attack of the One Man Shows on Tuesday! (one night only! Act now! Other infomercial type phrases!)
by Megan Mooney
On Tuesday March 9, 2010, at the Supermarket in Kensington Market you have the opportunity to see two one-man shows for $10. Basically you’re getting two-for-one. And the one is very reasonably priced…
The two shows are: Nile Seguin’s Fear of a Brown Planet and Gavin Stephens’ Spectacular! Spectacular! and the event is being put together by Nerdgasm Comedy
Toronto theatre contest -win a pair of tickets to My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding
Do you like hilarious musicals? If you didn’t have the chance to see My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding at last year’s fringe festival, then your in for a treat!
This Thursday be the lucky 13th person to contact us at contests@mooneyontheatre.com quoting the subject line My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, for your chance to win a pair of tickets to this Thursday night’s performance at the Panasonic Theatre.
Based on a true story written by David Hein and Irene Carl Sankoff MMLJWW will be playing until March 21st every Tuesday through Thursday at 8:00pm, Saturday shows at 5:00pm and 7:00pm, and Sundays at 7:00pm. Tickets are $25-$60 and can be purchased at 416-872-121 or by going to Ticket King.
For more information about this play read the reveiw by Leanne Milech below or visit My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding.
Good Luck!
New Ideas Festival
By Leanne Milech
The New Ideas Festival is almost here! Alumnae Theatre Company is presenting its 22nd annual festival of new writing, works-in-progress and experimental theatre over three exciting weeks spanning from March 10 until March 27. The works being performed were all selected for the festival by a blind jury, meaning the jury wasn’t aware of the writers’ identities until after the selections had been made. This makes for unique plays curated solely on the merit of the works submitted. Festival goers are sure to be treated to three very different – but equally interesting – weeks of new ideas. To learn more about the festival and the short scripts selected for this year’s performances, read on.